1970: Operation “Archive” – The Classified Fate of Hitler’s Remains

Pop quiz: Where’s Hitler’s body? Is it: a) in Panama, b) in Uruguay, c) under the remains of the bunker in which he died, or d) in a laboratory in St Petersburg, frozen until the technology can developed which would allow him to be revived to a sufficient state that he can be charged withContinueContinue reading “1970: Operation “Archive” – The Classified Fate of Hitler’s Remains”

1943: Killing Kommissar Kube, Hitler’s Man in Occupied Belarus

Wilhelm Kube was not a nice man, but the same could be said of so many others before and after him who donned the swastika armband. He is the author of the infamous quote, “What plague and syphilis are to humanity, are Jews to the white race.” That should be proof enough of the sortContinueContinue reading “1943: Killing Kommissar Kube, Hitler’s Man in Occupied Belarus”

1939: Robbery, Murder, and Rape – More Bad News for Voroshilov, Downplayed as “Negative Incidents”

Whew. At some point, one would think Voroshilov would stop reading the incoming reports from the Ukrainian and Belorussian Fronts regarding out-of-control Red Army troops committing grievous crimes “against the backdrop of the excellent political and moral state of the units.” This time, a Top Secret report from the Office of the Chief Military ProsecutorContinueContinue reading “1939: Robbery, Murder, and Rape – More Bad News for Voroshilov, Downplayed as “Negative Incidents””

1939: Voroshilov Excuses Soviet War Crimes Against Polish Civilians as a Misunderstanding

One runs out of words when trying to explain the thought process of a decorated Marshal of the Soviet Union dismissing the unlawful summary execution of at least nine Polish civilians as a “mistake and a misunderstanding” that took place against the backdrop of “combat operations and acute class struggle.” Another slap on the wrist,ContinueContinue reading “1939: Voroshilov Excuses Soviet War Crimes Against Polish Civilians as a Misunderstanding”

1939: Logistics and Carelessness Abound While Nazis and Red Army Collaborate to Slice Poland in Half

We’ve stumbled onto an unknown (to us) cache of thousands of classified documents held in the archives of the Lieutenant General Kazimierz Sosnkowski Military Historical Office dealing primarily with the challenges faced by Poland brought on by the USSR (invasion, annexation, authoritarian rule, oppression, etc.) from at least 1939 to 1955. It’s a fascinating collection,ContinueContinue reading “1939: Logistics and Carelessness Abound While Nazis and Red Army Collaborate to Slice Poland in Half”

1943: Prince Nikolay Gagarin Returns Home from Fighting for the Nazis

The following translation is taken from a rather lengthy interrogation of Prince Nikolay Mikhaylovich Gagarin, a former Wehrmacht officer and commander of the 3rd squadron of the 600th Cossack division, who went over to the Smolensk partisans on June 9, 1943. The uniqueness of the document is that, to date, it is the only knownContinueContinue reading “1943: Prince Nikolay Gagarin Returns Home from Fighting for the Nazis”

June 1945: The Soviet Interrogation of Hermann Göring

Immediately prior to or following Germany’s defeat in World War II, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring surrendered to the U.S. 36th Infantry Division on May 6–9, 1945, near Radstadt, Austria, seeking to avoid capture by Soviet forces. After being stripped of power by Hitler for perceived treason, Göring offered his surrender to the Western Allies, expecting toContinueContinue reading “June 1945: The Soviet Interrogation of Hermann Göring”

Two German Spies Alert the Soviets to Germany’s War Preparations: Alta, Ariyets, and Barbarossa

On December 29, 1940, a decrypted report from Berlin landed on Stalin’s desk. “Meteor,” a resident of the intelligence directorate of the Red Army General Staff reported from Berlin: “‘Alta’ has reported that Hitler gave the order (learned from ‘Ariyets’ in highly informed circles) on preparations for war with the USSR, which is planned toContinueContinue reading “Two German Spies Alert the Soviets to Germany’s War Preparations: Alta, Ariyets, and Barbarossa”

30 May 1945: Hitler’s Will, Himmler’s Pill, and Dönitz (Still)

Another Top Secret coded telegram from Berlin to Moscow, this time with the Soviet agent providing information about sweeping into Nazi command and control headquarters to search for, examine, and abscond with the “most “most interesting” documents for Stalin’s eyes. We learn some information about Hitler’s last will, including the appointment of Dönitz as hisContinueContinue reading “30 May 1945: Hitler’s Will, Himmler’s Pill, and Dönitz (Still)”

28 May 1945: Dönitz Government Apprehended, Himmler Commits Suicide

Another Top Secret cable from Berlin to Moscow to keep Stalin apprised of the rather dynamic environment post-war Germany is undergoing. In this short (and partially-redacted) declassified account from a Soviet agent in Berlin, some details are provided of the large-scale British operation to apprehend the Dönitz government, carried out on 23 May. The authorContinueContinue reading “28 May 1945: Dönitz Government Apprehended, Himmler Commits Suicide”